Gearing up for application season, Student Services is encouraging students to rock out in their best college attire.  Every year, North Carolina has one week dedicated to helping students apply to college. This year that week is from October 18th to October 22nd. In order to go to college, students fill out applications for colleges to get to know more about students and their interests. When applying to college, there are many fees that need to be paid. This week also assists students with financial aid by helping them get grants to help pay for tuition.  

   Common App, a widely-used college application platform, allows students to submit one application to multiple colleges at once. The app also creates a path for students to follow to help them make a plan to get into college and figure out what they want to do in life. Another great resource for college applications is the College Foundation of North Carolina. It gives steps on how to submit, where to submit applications, and helps track progress on applying.  Applications include transcripts, resumes, and personal essays. Students can use these components of their written application to prepare for college interviews.

  Here at Millbrook, counselors can help seniors out with the process of filling out an application and submitting it to the lists of schools they are applying to. Student services has activities that will get seniors ready for what is to be expected with college and future career paths.  Colleges look for test scores, grade point averages, community skills, and unique traits about a person. Personal essays let colleges know more about an applicant’s character, giving students a chance to share unique aspects about themselves. 

  Teacher recommendations are a key part of the application process. A helpful tip when it comes to teacher recommendations is making sure students ask their teachers for recommendations as soon as possible and making sure students don’t ask at the last minute. Senior Ryann Capes says, “I suggest getting teacher recommendations early because when it comes to college application week, teachers are swamped with recommendations. So, if you get it in early, your form could be the first one they receive and you get it back early.” 

  Another tip that seniors can follow is making your personal essay about you instead of trying to impress somebody. Joanna Slater, a former Millbrook senior from the class of 2021, says, “Making sure your personal essay gives some insight on who you really are lets colleges get to know you. I made the mistake of having mine really broad, and I don’t think that helped me any.” Writing and submitting college applications can be a very stressful process.  Looking at online tools and speaking with your counselors can provide very helpful guidance.